cave sexte 说:
Noosers, or some other dev, can you comment on why those units aren't available for the player to recruit once the appropriate city is owned? I have a single unit of marleons cavalry that feels very lonely and would like some company. After all, wasn't part of the point of the mod to add color and depth to the game? I'd imagine there's a balance or gameplay intent reason?
I think the reason is that it does add depth and colour to have non-player-attainable units. Five units that you can't recruit are balanced by you having access to many knighthood order troops, which the npc lords can't recruit.
Those special units add a nice bit of flavour to particular lords. Some of them also add a lot to a Faction's tactical capabilities.
The Kierguard Knights are a nice dedicated heavy infantry for a faction that can't usually match the Huscarl or the Blademaster, or even the Legionnaire (considering javs).
Fierdsvain get Valdis Huscarls, which are mounted huscarls. They are the only heavy cav that the Fierdsvain have, and add a powerful element to their armies, that can dismount and fight on foot very well for flexibility.
The Empire also get a heavy cav, which they lack (apart from Shadow Legion Centurians). Guardian Empire Knights are good lancers with great throwing abilities and very heavy horses.
Sarleon get the Marleons Heavy Cavalry, which are more of a medium cavalry despite the name. But their lances and morning stars mean they perform very well against infantry.
The only weak link is the D'Shar. They get an archer unit that in no way makes up for their poor/almost non-existent foot archer capacity. This unit is not really something that you'd want to be able to recruit anyway. Though it does look cool, so that gives it a small bonus.
These are the only unique culture troops. Other lords have other units as special bodyguards, but they are either faction units you can recruit, or non-faction units you can get in taverns, or knighthood order troops. And Inar Hairybreeks (Fierdsvain) gets Red Brotherhood Guildsmen, which you can't recruit except by capture or released prisoners, but they aren't that good anyway. Empire horsemen or maiden cavalry do their job much better.
In terms of the lords who get those troops, you'll never be able to recruit the guy with the Valdis Huscarls, because he's the Fierdsvain king. The guy with the special D'Shar archers is honourable, so get him to 100 relations and it won't decrease. I'm not sure of the exact personality of the other three, but I think the Ravenstern and the Empire ones are both the type that will hate you if you let them go after a battle. Aelfwine, the Sarleon guy, likes being released, but whines hugely anytime you give someone else a fief. But his cavalry are useful enough to put up with his whining.